The New iPad: Comparing the Specs to BlackBerry PlayBook, Android

The stunning resolution of the new iPad screen may be reason enough to own it. Otherwise, the device's specs are surprisingly similar to much cheaper tablets.

With predictable fanfare, Apple revealed its new iPad yesterday. Reviews of the device quickly focused on the single biggest difference between it and its predecessor, which was released less than a year ago.

CNET’s Donald Bell summed up the reception in a review today, saying “The iPad’s new screen is a stunner. That’s really all you need to know about (it)…” but later adding: “we’re stuck with the new iPad and a design that is virtually indistinguishable from 2011’s iPad 2.”

“They’re also what give Apple execs some room to claim this device as “amazing” and “revolutionary,” he said “…rather than run-of-the-mill and incremental. The truth is that the new Apple iPad probably falls somewhere in the middle. It’s neither dud nor game-changer.”

And The Financial Post’s Matt Hartley said the device does little to fend off rivals advances. “the incremental improvements in the latest iPad may be just the opportunity they need to establish themselves as legitimate competitors to the world’s most valuable company..” said Hartley.

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In November 2010, Boston based research firm Strategy Analytics estimated that Apple owned 95% of the tablet market. Just over fourteen months later, Apple is barely selling six out of every ten tablets sold. That’s still a dominant share of the market, by any standard. But the extra space has allowed some tablets such as the Kindle Fire to flourish and others, notably the BlackBerry PlayBook, to be granted a chance at a second life.

With Playbook sales lagging, (IDC reported that RIM was able to secure just 4.9% of the tablet market in 2011) and an inventory buildup that was approximately three-quarters of a billion dollars more than it was just six months prior, RIM decided, late in November of last year, to offer promotional plans that lead to retailers slashing the price of Playbook’s by $300. As a result, Toronto-based Solutions Research Group says the BlackBerry PlayBook now has 15% of the Canadian tablet market. While the company has yet to provide numbers, at least a million BlackBerry Playbooks have now been sold.

About Nick Waddell

Cantech Letter founder and editor Nick Waddell has lived in five Canadian provinces and is proud of his country's often overlooked contributions to the world of science and technology. Waddell takes a regular shift on the Canadian media circuit, making appearances on CTV, CBC and BNN, and contributing to publications such as Canadian Business and Business Insider.